'ANYTHING can happen' Amber Rudd breaks ranks to warn of SECOND REFERENDUM

AMBER Rudd has become the first Cabinet minister to break ranks with Theresa May as she suggested there could be a second referendum if the Prime Minister’s unpopular Brexit plan is rejected by MPs next week.

Amber Rudd has floated the possibilty of a second Brexit referendum or a Norway-style deal (Image: REUTERS)

The work and pensions secretary admitted “anything could happen” if Mrs May’s deal does not survive Tuesday’s Commons vote, including a rerun of the 2016 vote or an eleventh-hour Norway-style arrangement with the EU. Her remarks are in stark contrast to the official line from Downing Street which has insisted there is no plan B for Brexit and the Prime Minister’s deal is the only option on the table. Ms Rudd, a close ally of Mrs May, told BBC radio: “If Theresa May's plan doesn't get through anything could happen: people's vote, Norway plus, any of these options could come forward.”

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The Government is widely expected to suffer a crushing defeat over its Brexit plan next week after more than 100 Tory MPs publicly stated they would vote against the deal unless changes are made.

And Amber Rudd’s comments come as a growing number of MPs are said to be warming to the idea of a ‘Norway-plus’ arrangement as a way to break the Parliamentary deadlock.

The work and pensions secretary said Mrs May’s plan is still the best option for exiting the EU.

But in a separate interview with The Times, Ms Rudd said her preferred alternative is a Norway-style model, adding it "seems plausible not just in terms of the country but in terms of where the MPs are".